With only a month left until the end of spring semester, SGA spoke to Barnard Alumnae about life after graduation and outside of the Columbia Bubble. Bureau Chief Leena Chen reported on the meeting.

SGA elections are coming up! If you’re interested in running for a position, you must attend one of the following info sessions in the Student Leadership Collective (the room inside Liz’s Place) this week: April 2nd from 1 to 3 pm and 6:30 to 9 pm, April 3rd from 11 am to 3 pm, April 4th from 5 to 8 pm, and April 5th from 9:30 am to 12 pm and 6 to 8 pm.

Last night, SGA addressed the elephant in the room and discussed life after graduation with the Alumni Association of Barnard College and with the Office of Alumnae Relations. Jyoti Menon, Barnard ‘01, was SGA President during her time at Barnard and still remains heavily involved with the school in her role as the President of the AABC and as a Member of the Board of Trustees. Karen Sendler, a Columbia College alumna, now serves as the Executive Director of Alumnae Relations and also works in collaboration with the AABC and Beyond Barnard.

The AABC is a network of 35,000 alumnae worldwide. Its purpose is “to further the interests of Barnard College and to promote a spirit of fellowship among its alumnae”. The AABC board is comprised of a variety of different class years, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, locations, and more to best represent its overall population. Alumnae stay in touch with Barnard through volunteering as interviewers for the Admissions Office, joining the AABC, fundraising or donating, and serving as mentors to current students through Beyond Barnard. Alumnae also interact with current students through programs and events like NSOP, Convocation, Legacy Brunch, the Student / Alumnae Thanksgiving Program, Senior Toast, the Alumnae of Color Dinner for Admitted Students, Beyond Barnard, and more.

Unfortunately, despite all of these established programs and events, only 21% of alumnae donate to Barnard College, in comparison with 46% of alumnae who donate to Wellesley College. For this reason, the AABC identified three distinct Focus Areas for the 2019-2019 year to encourage alumnae involvement: “Be an Ambassador for Barnard”, “Increase Participation Rate”, and “Pipeline of Alumnae Volunteers”.

For current students, “There are just so many ways to connect with alums”, Jyoti emphasized. Whether for career mentoring or for NYC rental advice, Barnard alumnae are always happy to be of help to current students. Barnard alumnae do not receive monetary compensation for their service in AABC, meaning that all of them volunteer their time solely because of how passionate they are about the Barnard community. So, if you’re a current senior, don’t hesitate to join the unofficial “Bold. Beautiful. Barnard Alumnae” Facebook group and the official Barnard College LinkedIn group! There are also many other unofficial Facebook groups organized by region and career field, so definitely take the time to poke around!

SGA Logo via Bwog Archive

Barnard via Bwog Archive